Eleno mome

Eleno Mome ( Bulgarian Елено моме ) is a Bulgarian row or circle dance (see below) in 7/8 time.

Name and lyrics

As with many Bulgarian folklore dances , the name Eleno Mome is the beginning of the accompanying song (see below) and means "girl Helena". The dance is also common under the name "Elenino Horo". (A Greek version of the dance is called "Eleni Kopella" - German also "Mädchen Helena".)

Lyrics of the song

The dance song exists in several different variants. One (Bulgarian Елено моме, Елено, Не гази сено зелено ...) reads as follows:

Bulgarian		German translation
Eleno mome, Eleno Ne gazi seno zeleno. Ah, Eleno mome, Eleno Ne gazi seno zeleno. Štom padne seno zeleno Mladi go momci kosili. Ah, Eleno mome, Eleno Ne gazi seno zeleno. Mladi go momci kosili A mladi bulki plastili. Ah, Eleno mome, Eleno Ne gazi seno zeleno. Mladi go bulki plastili, A mladi kone paseli. Ah, Eleno mome, Eleno Ne gazi seno zeleno.		Elena, girl Elena, don't step on the green hay. Oh Elena, girl Elena, don't step on the green hay. When the green hay began to sink, the young fellows mowed it. Oh, Elena, ... The young lads mowed it, the young brides turned it over and spread it out. Oh, Elena ... The young brides turned it over and scattered it. The young horses grazed on it. Oh, Elena, ...
Another version becomes clearer about what happened:
Džambazi seno kosjaha, Mladi devojki plastjaha. Eleninata majčica Well na Elena dumaše: Eleno mome, Eleno, Ne gazi seno zeleno. Deca go momci kosili, Deca go momi plastili. Koga mi momci kosili, Kosili i se sârdili. Koga devojki plastili, Plastili i se molili: Eleno mome, Eleno, Ne gazi seno zeleno Šte ti izleze soleno. Eleninite očički Te struvat šepa žâltički. Eleninite klepači - Kojto gi vidi se plači.		Horse dealers mowed hay, young girls piled it. Elena's mother said to Elena: Elena, girl Elena, don't step on the green hay. Boys mowed it, girls dumped it. When the boys mowed it, they mowed and angry. When the girls piled up, piled up and asked them: Elena, girl Elena, don't step on the green hay, [otherwise] it will end badly for you. Elena's little eyes cost a handful of gold pieces Elena's lashes - whoever sees them cries.

This version shows the type of mocking song, which is popular as a dance song in many countries.

Origin and Distribution

The Eleno Mome dance is one of the most popular dances , along with Pravo Horo , Svištovsko (Pravo Severnjaško Horo) , Dajčovo and Pajduško . With its lively pace, its hops and leaps and the arm movements that accompany the steps and emphasize the accents, it is a typical northern Bulgarian dance. Today it is danced all over Bulgaria at festivals of all kinds.

Formal characteristic

Eleno Mome belongs to the group of the Bulgarian horos and is danced to the right in a long mixed row or in an open circle. The rhythm is 7/8 time with the distribution 2-2-1-2 (long-long-short-long). There is a step or hop on each of these four pulsations. The basic form consists of three bars, with the dancers moving to the right on the first bar and dancing more or less on the spot on the second and third bars. This structure also corresponds (like Pravo Horo ) to the basic principle of the Faroese ballad step (dance descriptions see literature).

literature

Herwig Milde, Belčo Stanev: The Bulgarian dance folklore. Balsies, Kiel 2004, ISBN 3-925594-58-2 .
Ivan Donkov: Folk Dances from the Region of Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. Chervenakov, Veliko Târnovo 1997, ISBN 954-8877-20-1 .